The New York Yankees will be without their Most Valuable Player due to an injury, according to information from manager Aaron Boone.
Aaron Judge, New York’s prominent power hitter and a leading contender for the AL MVP award, will be placed on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow, Boone informed reporters on Saturday. Tests revealed no tear to the ulnar collateral ligament.
The current expectation is that Judge will only require approximately 10 days away from team activities. Upon his return, he will be gradually reintroduced into the lineup, initially as a designated hitter, according to Boone. His return to the field will commence with throwing exercises before his eventual return to playing in the outfield.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Judge was absent from Saturday’s 9-4 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies due to an “elbow issue,” as described by manager Aaron Boone earlier in the day. Boone also indicated that Judge “was experiencing difficulty throwing from the outfield” and underwent an MRI examination.
The exact timing of Judge’s initial injury remains unclear. During Tuesday night’s victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, Judge was observed grimacing and clutching his right hand after making a throw. The subsequent day, he did not play in right field but fulfilled the role of designated hitter. Boone stated that the slugger was “doing fine.”
In the period since Tuesday, Judge has recorded 1 hit in 10 at-bats; that one hit was a home run in an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Saturday marked the first game he has missed all season.
Judge is currently competing for the AL MVP title with Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh. Across 103 games, Judge leads the major leagues in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.449), slugging percentage (.711), and on-base plus slugging (1.160). Raleigh leads the major leagues in home runs (39) and, entering Saturday, trailed Judge’s 84 RBI by one.
The Yankees will conclude their three-game series against the Phillies on Sunday afternoon and will finish their homestand with a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Following this, they will embark on a road trip to face the Miami Marlins and the Texas Rangers.
How will general manager Brian Cashman respond to Judge’s absence? With the MLB trade deadline approaching on July 31, the Yankees are currently six games behind the Blue Jays for the AL East lead and have suffered five defeats in their eight games since the All-Star break.
